Learning the Art of Stop-Motion: Lesson 4

CAMERA MOVEMENT

Camera movement is essential in order to make a great animation.
Well, what is camera movement? Simply put, camera movement is basically everything that has to do with the movement of the camera - its position, angle, field of view, focus, you name it. It is one of the most expressive tools available in film because it creates illusions that help make the viewer feel like they're actually in the movie.

Think about it! How boring would a movie be if the camera is just perfectly still? (Meaning it doesn't move at all) Say that the very still movie is still yet so well-made that the viewer is still watching. I doubt that they would want to watch it again. Why? Well, you can say that camera movement is a gateway between the audience's world, and the movie's world. This gate is kept blocked without any camera movement, so why would anyone bother to watch it again?

Here's a simple demonstration that you might understand  a little bit better.
The following are two of the exact same animation of  a simple character jumping off a rock. The first video is the raw footage, and the second is the video where I edited camera movement into them.

WILL BE POSTED LATER... Be Patient :)

So, what do you think? How does camera movement affect an animation? The answer should be pretty simple...
You probably now understand what camera movement is, and why they're pretty much essential in making a great stop-motion film.

So, there are 4 most basic types of camera movement:
~Zoom: The camera simply zooms in or out of the scene. Usually used when there's little to no action; Zoom will probably used when characters are having a quite lame conversation.
~Pan: The position of the camera is kept the same, but it rotates side-side or top-bottom in one plane (only rotates around one axis).
~Dolly: Basically the opposite of Pan; the rotation is kept the same, but the position moves side-side or top-bottom in one plane (only moves on one line).
~Track/Shaky Cam: The position of the camera stays the same, but the rotation moves according with the action, character, etc. in multiple planes (rotates around infinite axis).